Road Safety and Moving Days
The LA Times just finished up a big three-piece report on U-Haul and their safety track record (or lack thereof) over the years that reminded me of the woeful state of a U-Haul trailer (and the pitiful service that went along with it) that moved me and my family a few years back — I still look back and am amazed sometimes at our relative luck, though that was a horrific move, not to be sent plummeting to injury or death, what with the corroded and cracked tire rim we traveled on– and I just wanted to remind people who may be moving themselves or their college-age kids or their friends this summer, when it seems like everybody is moving, to make sure you inspect any vehicle you rent and to pack it with care.
Though I know I’ll never use U-Haul again, since I don’t have any experience with local U-Haul outlets, I won’t specifically steer anyone away from them. Though the last time I moved, Budget was definitely the way to go.
I always thought that U-Haul was initially a local enterprise, but Wikipedia says I’m (sorta) wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-haul
Does anyone know for sure? I remember being told that the U-Haul on Powell (in the 40s or 50s, I can’t remember the cross street) was the original location. Anyone got anything more conclusive than Wikipedia that can back me up?
BLF, as you drive into Ridgefield there’s a huge “Welcome to Ridgefield, birthplace of U-Haul” sign.
That’s not necessarily definitive, but it falls in like with Wikipedia.
Just to offer a recent perspective: we used Penske for our 1100-mile interstate move three weeks ago. The initial truck rental price was more than U-Haul’s (Budget had no trucks available), but Penske’s trucks are all diesel (cheaper than gas these days) and get five or six miles to the gallon more than U-Haul’s. I think we came out ahead in the end, and the 26-foot truck was in like-new condition and not too hard to drive.
We also rented a U-Haul trailer for our motorcycle and some large potted plants; there was absolutely no instruction offered about loading or suggested maximum speed limit. The trailer was also filthy and had a fair amount of body damage. Got it here over the mountains just fine, though.
On Penske’s web site it looks like just the 22′ and 26′ trucks are diesel. The 16′ truck I rented in January was gasoline.
Regardless, I think that Penske is definitely the way to go. I’ve moved across the country in a Penske truck no fewer than five times in the past seven years, and I’ve never had a problem. On the other hand, I’ve seen U-Hauls broken down on the side of the road more times than I can remember.
I’m not surprised – my ex used to work for U-Haul in or near Federal Way, so I heard stories.
When I moved across country by myself, I used Penske, as well, and had no problems.